Title page
Contents
Executive Summary 6
1. Introduction 13
1.1. Organization of This Report 14
2. Study Design 15
2.1. Selection and Recruitment of Districts and States 15
2.2. Teacher Eligibility Criteria 16
2.3. Teacher Sample 16
2.4. Sample Characteristics 17
2.5. Preparation Providers, Certification Routes, and Degree Programs 21
2.6. Teacher Survey on Preparation Experiences 23
2.6.1. Identifying the 13 Competency Areas 23
2.6.2. Identifying Sets of Five Teaching Strategies for Each Competency Area 25
2.6.3. Defining the Four Types of Learning Opportunities 25
2.6.4. Format of the Survey 26
2.6.5. Cognitive Testing of the Survey 26
2.7. Preparation Experience Measures 27
2.7.1. Average Measures 27
2.7.2. Broad Category Measures 28
2.7.3. Assessment of Measurement Error in Teacher Survey Responses 29
2.8. Teaching Effectiveness Measures 30
2.8.1. Estimating Teaching Effectiveness 31
2.8.2. Relating Preparation Experiences to Teaching Effectiveness 31
3. Average Frequencies and Variation of Teacher Preparation Experiences 32
3.1. Preparation Experiences With Competency Areas 32
3.1.1. Relative Frequency Across Competency Areas 32
3.1.2. Variation Across Teachers in Competency Areas 33
3.2. Preparation Experiences Obtained Through Different Types of Learning Opportunities 37
3.2.1. Relative Frequency Across Types of Learning Opportunities 37
3.2.2. Variation Across Teachers in Types of Learning Opportunities 40
3.3. Preparation Experiences With Two Broad Categories Within Four Types of Learning Opportunities 42
3.3.1. Average Frequencies of Preparation Experiences in Two Broad Categories Within Four Types of Learning Opportunities 42
3.3.2. Variation of Preparation Experiences in Two Broad Categories Within Four Types of Learning Opportunities 42
4. Relationships of Preparation Experiences to Teaching Effectiveness 44
4.1. Relationships of Preparation Experiences to Teaching Effectiveness in ELA and Math 44
4.2. Relationships of Preparation Experiences to Teaching Effectiveness Over the First Three Years of Teaching 47
5. Areas for Future Research 49
References 50
Acknowledgements 55
Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest 55
Appendix A. Teacher Survey Response Rates by District/State 61
Appendix B. Comparison of the Subsample Used for Relational Analyses and the Full Sample 63
Appendix C. Development of the Teacher Survey 67
Appendix D. Teacher Survey Questions on Preparation Experiences 71
Appendix E. Measures of Preparation Experiences 87
Appendix F. Teachers' Assessment of the Usefulness of Preparation Experiences 89
Appendix G. Factor Analysis Methodology 94
Appendix H. Assessing Measurement Error in Teacher Survey Responses 97
Appendix I. Value-Added Modeling Methodology 103
Appendix J. Teachers' Preparation Experiences by Preparation Provider and Degree Program 109
Appendix K. Robustness of Results to Alternative Statistical Models 112
Appendix L. Subgroup Analyses for Relational Findings 115
Appendix M. Relationships Between Preparation Experiences and Effectiveness by Year of Teaching 120
Table 4.1. Standardized Regression Coefficients for Relationships of Preparation Experiences with Creating a Productive Learning Environment to ELA and Math Teaching Effectiveness... 45
Table 4.2. Standardized Regression Coefficients for Relationships of Preparation Experiences With Promoting Analytic Thinking Skills to ELA and Math Teaching Effectiveness... 46
Figure ES.1. Taxonomy of Preparation Experiences for This Study 7
Figure ES.2. Example Survey Items for "Maintaining a Positive Classroom Climate" Competency Area 8
Figure ES.3. Teachers' Preparation Experiences by Competency Area 9
Figure ES.4. Teacher-Reported Frequency of Preparation Experiences by Learning Opportunity 10
Figure ES.5. Relationships Between Preparation Experiences and Teaching Effectiveness in ELA and Math 11
Figure 2.1. Study Sample 17
Figure 2.2. States in the Sample by Number of Study Teachers 18
Figure 2.3. Percentage of Study Districts by Demographic Characteristics, Weighted by Number of Teachers 19
Figure 2.4. Comparison of Study Teachers and "Eligible" SASS Teachers 20
Figure 2.5. States in the Sample by Number of Preparation Providers 21
Figure 2.6. Percentage of Study Teachers by Certification Route and Degree Program 22
Figure 2.7. Example Survey Items for "Maintaining a Positive Classroom Climate" Competency Area 26
Figure 2.8. Taxonomy of Preparation Experiences for This Study 29
Figure 3.1. Teacher-Reported Frequency of Preparation Experiences by Competency Area 34
Figure 3.2. Percentage of Teachers Reporting At Least A Few Experiences in Competency Areas 35
Figure 3.3. Percentage of Teachers Reporting Many Preparation Experiences in Competency Areas 35
Figure 3.4. Teacher-Reported Frequency of Preparation Experiences Obtained Through Types of Learning Opportunities 37
Figure 3.5. Teacher-Reported Frequency of Preparation Experiences With Competency Areas by Type of Learning Opportunity 39
Figure 3.6. Percentage of Teachers Reporting At Least A Few Preparation Experiences Obtained Through Types of Learning Opportunities 40
Figure 3.7. Percentage of Teachers Reporting Many Preparation Experiences Obtained Through Types of Learning Opportunities 41
Figure 3.8. Teacher-Reported Frequency of Preparation Experiences by Type of Learning Opportunity and Broad Category 43
Table A.1. Teacher Survey Response Rates by District/State 61
Table A.2. Distribution of Teachers by Year in Analysis Samples (Full Sample and Subsample) 62
Table C.1. Constructs in Classroom Observation Instruments Used in the MET Project 67
Table E.1. Measures of Teacher Preparation Experiences Derived From Exploratory Factor Analyses 88
Table F.1. Average Measures of Usefulness 89
Table F.2. Correlations Between Teacher-Reported Usefulness Ratings and Ratings of the Frequency of Their Preparation Experiences With the 13 Competency Areas 92
Table G.1. Loading of 11 Competency Areas on Two Broad Categories 95
Table G.2. Items and Loading Used to Create Two Broad Categories Within Each Type of Learning Opportunity 96
Table H.1. Descriptive Statistics of Preparation Experiences With Competency Area and Type of Learning Opportunity by Certification Route 101
Table I.1. Example Cells for Grade 5 Math Students 104
Table J.1. Decomposition of the Total Variance in the Average Frequency of Preparation Experiences With Competency Areas and Through Types of Learning Opportunities 111
Table L.1. Relationships of Preparation Experiences to ELA Teaching Effectiveness for Subgroups of Teachers Defined by Proportion FRPL-Eligible Students in Classrooms 116
Table L.2. Relationships of Preparation Experiences to Math Teaching Effectiveness for Subgroups of Teachers Defined by Proportion FRPL-Eligible Students in Classrooms 117
Table L.3. Relationships of Preparation Experiences to Teaching Effectiveness in ELA and Math for Subgroups of Teachers Defined by Class Average Baseline ELA or Math Performance 118
Table L.4. Standardized Regression Coefficients for Relationships of Preparation Experiences With Effective Instruction for English Learners to ELA and Math Teaching... 119
Table M.1. Standardized Regression Coefficients for Relationships of Preparation Experiences With Creating a Productive Learning Environment to ELA Teaching Effectiveness... 120
Table M.2. Standardized Regression Coefficients for Relationships of Preparation Experiences With Creating a Productive Learning Environment to Math Teaching Effectiveness... 121
Table M.3. Standardized Regression Coefficients for Relationships of Preparation Experiences With Promoting Analytic Thinking Skills to ELA Teaching Effectiveness by Year of Teaching 121
Table M.4. Standardized Regression Coefficients for Relationships of Preparation Experiences With Promoting Analytic Thinking Skills to Math Teaching Effectiveness by Year of Teaching 121
Figure B.1. Percentages of Study Districts by Demographic Characteristics in the Relational and Full Samples, Weighted by Number of Teachers 64
Figure B.2. Percentage of Study Teachers by Certification Route in the Relational and Full Samples 65
Figure B.3. Percentage of Study Teachers by Degree Program in the Relational and Full Samples 66
Figure C.1. Steps in Constructing the Survey Questions on Teacher Preparation Experiences 68
Figure C.2. Round 1 Cognitive Testing Probes for Productive Use of Classroom Time 69
Figure E.1. Average Frequencies of Preparation Experiences Obtained About a Competency Area Through Four Types of Learning Opportunities 88
Figure F.1. Teacher-Reported Average Usefulness Ratings of Preparation Experiences by Competency Area 91
Figure F.2. Means and 95 Percent Confidence Intervals for Teacher-Reported Usefulness Ratings and Ratings of the Frequency of Their Preparation Experiences... 93
Figure H.1. Teacher-Reported Frequency of Preparation Experiences With Competency Areas by Certification Route 99
Figure H.2. Teacher-Reported Frequency of Preparation Experiences Through Types of Learning Opportunities by Certification Route 100
Figure J.1. Variation in Preparation Experiences With Maintaining a Positive Classroom Climate Within Degree Programs for Three Preparation Providers 110
Figure K.1. Using Alternative Sets of Covariates in Models to Estimate Relationships of Preparation Experiences to Effectiveness Produced Estimates That Were Similar... 114
Figure L.1. Relationships of Preparation Experiences With Creating a Productive Learning Environment or With Promoting Analytic Thinking Skills to ELA and Math Teaching... 119